Kingsley Enagbare has turned a depth signing into a real problem for the Jets’ edge-rusher picture.
New York entered the 2026 season expecting Will McDonald to line up as a starter opposite No. 2 overall pick David Bailey, but Enagbare has made that setup look shaky. The free agent addition has been so effective that the Jets may have to reshuffle the rotation just to get the best players on the field.
Enagbare was already working with the first team on the initial depth chart, and he’s backed that up in practice with stretches where he stacked would-be sacks on consecutive plays. That kind of showing caught the eye of Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, who listed Enagbare among the 10 best players on the Jets roster and said he is "clearly ahead" of Will McDonald in the edge rusher pecking order.
That’s a major turn for a player who arrived on a one-year deal and looked like a veteran insurance piece. With Joseph Ossai dealing with a foot injury that could affect his availability at the start of the season, Enagbare now has a path to becoming a key starter in a rebuilt unit.
The former Packers edge rusher already brought a solid résumé to New York, posting 11.5 sacks over four seasons in Green Bay. The Packers still moved on from him, apparently deciding he had reached his ceiling as a pass rusher. The Jets, meanwhile, brought him in to help set the edge and hold up better against the run than McDonald or the less experienced Bailey on the outside.
Instead, Enagbare’s early work has suggested he may have more juice rushing the passer than expected. That puts even more pressure on McDonald, who has seen his snaps shrink despite logging 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
There’s a real chance McDonald opens the year as the No. 4 edge rusher. The way the coaches are approaching it, they appear to be accepting that his run defense may never become a strength and that he’ll remain a liability on early downs.
Enagbare is not Reggie White, but he can contribute against both the run and the pass. And with a defensive front that also includes T'Vondre Sweat, David Onyemata and Harrison Phillips, the Jets are aiming to become a unit that’s hard to run on.
For New York, this is exactly the kind of veteran one-year pickup teams hope to find - a player who outperforms the contract and maybe earns a longer stay. Enagbare is making that case early, even if his rise is coming at McDonald’s expense.
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